A Haitian prosecutor has recommended charges against 70 people for the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Among the former Colombian soldiers and Haitian government officials accused in the case is one unexpected name: former First Lady Martine Moïse, who was seriously injured in the attack.
A copy of a criminal complaint filed by a public prosecutor and submitted to a Haitian court that was obtained by The New York Times does not accuse her of planning the killing or offer any direct evidence of her involvement.
Instead, it says that she and other accomplices gave statements that were contradicted by other witnesses, suggesting that they were complicit in the attack and notes that one of the main suspects in custody in Haiti claimed Mrs. Moïse wanted to take over the presidency.
The complaint did not provide any more details about Mrs. Moise’s statements.
Her lawyer denied the accusations.
“We do not believe that she is or could ever be a suspect in the case,” the lawyer, Paul Turner, who is based in Florida, told The Times. “She was a victim, just like her children that were there, and her husband.” Some critics also said they believed the complaint had been tainted by politics.
The accusation against Mr. Moïse’s widow is the most surprising detail in the complaint, which is based on interviews with dozens of witnesses and took more than two years to produce.
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